Just Who I Wanted to See
by FineSummerDay
Summary: A loosely connected, light-hearted, and idyllic take on Zuko and Katara, ten years after the comet. A love story told in the smallest of moments. Pure fluff, people, all the way through. (Zutara, Non-Korra compliant.)
1. just who i wanted to see

" _Your absence has gone through me like a thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color." - W.S. Merwin_

* * *

"Hey there!" A woman's voice called out to Zuko as he trudged up the path to the Fire Lord's vacation residence. Stopping at the sound, he looked up to see what woman would dare interrupt this day, this one day that he took for himself.

Katara.

Ah.

She bounded down the long stairway between them, explanations pouring forth, "Hi! Hello. So. I was on my way to Ba Sing Se to see Toph, but I really needed to take a day off and rest up, and maybe find her a gift, and I realized I was so close to Ember Island, and—" she took a deep breath "—when I got here all of your staff were so friendly, and then they said you were coming, and I know I saw you last year at the Four Nations Festival, but it's so formal and we never get to talk and–" she reached his landing, where he stood waiting, arms crossed, and both golden eyes watching her closely, as she abruptly said "—come here. I missed you."

She closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around his stiff frame. As he loosened enough to return the embrace, he whispered in her ear, "Missed you too."


	2. watch the waves

" _Can you even hear me? / Sometimes I wonder. / Can I really feel you? / Out beneath the thunder."_ – from Zach Winters' "Sometimes I Wonder"

* * *

Katara glances up, tearing her gaze away from the ocean's sunset, when she hears footsteps creaking across the wood.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

"Care to join me?"

"That was my intention."

"Well, then, by all means."

"Your generous offer regarding my own dock is most appreciated."

"You don't really own this dock."

"I really do own this whole island."

"Yeah, but it's not personally yours, it belongs to the position of the Fire Lord. The nation owns it. It's like a benefit of the job."

"I am my job."

She sighs as she murmurs, "Aren't we all?"

Zuko finishes rolling up the bottom of his pant legs and looks at her intently, trying to gauge the sadness that tinges her voice. But the water tribe's eminent healer, ambassador, and peace advocate isn't looking at him anymore. She's watching the horizon.

Silence settles as he sits next to her, hanging his feet off the edge and into the water. The quiet is broken when he says,

"It's a nice sunset."

Katara considers this. For the first time since he approached, she turns to him. She studies his profile in the dimming light as he continues, "I mean, not that I've seen a lot of sunsets, but this one seems good. Probably means rain tomorrow. Well, just because it's red. The clouds are pretty wispy. But the colors are…" he trails off, clearly at a loss.

"Nice?" she supplies, unable to keep the laughter from bubbling up. In the dim light, it's difficult to tell if a blush spreads over his face, but he stares resolutely forward, before letting out a soft laugh himself.

"Yeah, that's the word."

They sit there until the last of the light fades and the first star appears, the only sound the gentle swish of the waves. It's been years since things were like this between them. Since they were first friends and could talk about nothing and stare at the sky for hours.

"Want to watch the stars come out?" she offers.

"Sure."

They lay on their backs, shoulders barely touching as the sky fills and thin shreds of clouds drift past.

Tomorrow she will climb atop Appa and wave goodbye. She will visit Toph, and return Appa to Aang with many thanks. She will attend meetings and summits, where she will argue for fair trade and workers' rights. She will provide guidance to the research hospital in Ba Sing Se and visit with their most difficult cases. She will heal, protect, and lead.

Tomorrow he will return to his throne. He will judge complex cases and settle his minister's squabbles. He will drink tea with Iroh in the late afternoon, and he will read philosophy at night. He will attend the graduation ceremony of the latest Fire Academy's elites – taught in the art of peace-making rather than the art of war. He will study, lead, and rule.

But tonight, they are friends, enjoying the perfect summer night.

"Katara?"

"Zuko?"

"I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."


	3. helping hand

_"Life doesn't wait to be asked. It comes grinning in, sits down uninvited, and helps itself to bread and cheese, and comments uninhibitedly on the decorations." - Philip Larkin_

* * *

Toph steepled her fingers and smiled impishly at her dinner companion as she said, "Katara? I just want to say for the record: You're welcome."

Katara looked at her friend through narrowed eyes.

But Toph continued, oblivious to the look, "And I want you know that it wasn't only for you, either. I fully intend to enjoy this as well."

They were sitting in a crowded banquet hall at the far end of the delegates' table. It was the annual celebration of Ba Sing Se Day, and an impressive array of Earth nobility, artisans, and entertainers milled around.

Toph's grin grew wider, "You know how I invited you to celebrate with me to get you out of babysitting Twinkletoes?" Katara grimaced at the nickname and started to protest, "I was not babysitting! I was...um..."

Toph interrupted, "You're trying to make him feel better about the fact that y'all broke up _eighteen months ago_ , and he's being a whiny butt. But what I'm trying to say is—"

A loud scrape accompanied the opening of the large earthen doors of the hall, probably to admit yet another well-connected Earth citizen dressed all in green. Katara didn't turn to look.

"—That I also invited someone else who had a few things to get out of."

At that moment, the announcer proclaimed the new entrant, "Welcome to His Majesty Zuko of the Fire Nation! How honored we are to have this guest!"

Turning, Katara saw Zuko entering. Bowing respectfully to Bumi, he stood stiffly as the enthusiastic king cartwheeled in response. The greetings completed, Zuko scanned the room, and, when his eyes reached Katara's, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

Her heart sped up, and she felt herself smiling in response, a small, shy smile, and she raised her hand in an awkward wave.

The moment was broken when Katara heard a sniggering sound. Turning back to her companion, she whispered ferociously, "You told me you needed me here for diplomatic relations! What else do you have planned?"

Trying to contain her glee, Toph explained, "Well, there might be a mix-up with how many rooms were requested and who's staying where...Like I said earlier, you're welcome."

But Katara, caught between fury and delight, was not yet sure she was grateful. It was going to be a long week.


	4. midnight spar

_"And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" - Kurt Vonnegut_

* * *

Zuko let out a deep sigh and set down the sheaf of papers. It was late already, but tomorrow he'd be headed to the village of Fuma to visit the governor, so he needed to be prepared. The clerks and scribes assigned to this wing had long ago retired for the evening, and most of the guards had even gone, leaving only a few outside the main entrance, and none in the interior. The quietness settled heavy and thick around him.

He rubbed his tired eyes and stretched his arms straight above. Settling in again, he picked up the sheaf, but his mind wandered aimlessly as he stared at words written. His muscles ached from sitting still for so many hours and he wished, for the hundredth time tonight, that Katara would hurry up and get here. Although she was officially visiting as the Ambassador, they had made some, as it were, _extracurricular_ plans for her time in the Fire Nation.

As if on cue, he heard a thump and an emphatic, _"Shit"_ , and, within a moment, Katara was tumbling over the side of the balcony and into the room. Zuko hurried to where she was, hands outstretched to help, but she had already assumed a defensive stance, hands on the throwing knives Mai had gifted her last Avatar Day.

With her hair in tight braid, and the moonlight outlining every curve of her black sparring outfit, she crouched still, watching him intently.

He shifted his weight to his back foot as he mentally calculated the distance between himself and the twin swords hanging in their place besides the entrance.

"You couldn't come in the door?" He asked casually, slowly pivoting one foot towards the weapons

Katara mirrored his movement, never breaking eye contact as she said, "You couldn't be less obvious about your plan to grab your swords?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to."

She allowed herself to indulge in an eye roll, "As if I don't know you're headed towards –"

But the instant of inattention was all he needed. Zuko took a running leap for his swords, and, swearing, Katara raced after him.

The council meeting at Fuma could wait. The stack of letters could wait. Sleeping a full night could wait. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the thud of his heart, the sharp breath in his lungs, and this woman. This woman currently throwing sharp darts incased in ice as he burst out of the upper study and into the empty palace corridor.

Zuko couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face as he pounded down the hallway. It was a good night to be alive.


	5. jasmine tea

_"And suddenly you know: that was enough.  
You rise and there appears before you  
in all its longings and hesitations  
the shape of what you lived." - Rilke, "Remembering"_

* * *

It had started like an ordinary evening - Zuko, reading through final reports from his top advisors, heard a rap on his door that signaled Iroh bringing tea. It was their nightly ritual when the former general was in the capital, and Zuko murmured a distracted, "Come in," as he hurriedly tried to skim to the end of the page.

He dimly heard the door open and the rustling of silk robes, and the setting up of the tea tray, but it wasn't until a voice spoke that his attention was jolted to the woman in front of him, saying, "If I'm going to go to all of the trouble of making you tea, you might at least say hello."

Katara stood before him, hands on her hips, as she continued, "Iroh's come down with a head cold, so he gave me _very specific instructions_ on how to do this. He also informed me that he considered it his sacred duty to help _you not take it all so seriously_ and that he was conferring that responsibility to me tonight." She tipped her head and studied him critically, "I see I have my work cut out for me."

Zuko returned her gaze, a smile playing across his lips, as he set down the scroll (its population demographics forgotten) and replied respectfully, "Hello, Master Katara."

She rolled her eyes and bowed slightly, "Good evening, Jasmine Tea Drinker."

He let out a snort, "Iroh thinks he's pretty clever, huh?"

"He certainly plays the 'poor, sickly old man' part very convincingly." She finished setting out the tea accouterments and cast another critical gaze before asking suddenly, "Do you want a shoulder rub?"

Surprised, he said, "I'm not sure what Iroh told you, but that is not part of the usual tea itinerary," but she was already headed around the large walnut desk as her laughing voice responded, "I'm improvising. Deal with it."

He turned in his seat and put up his hands, "I'm sure I'm fine. The tea is enough."

But she simply rolled her eyes again, "You've never felt one of my shoulder rubs. Toph said they changed her life."

His eyes narrowed as he let her get closer, " _Toph_ said that?"

Katara stood behind the very tense, seated Fire Lord and set her hands on his broad shoulders, " _Toph_ said that."

He opened his mouth to complain, but no sound came out when her strong, gentle hands began working against his tense shoulders. Contentment oozed through every pore of Zuko as his muscles relaxed and he slumped against the back of the chair. Katara chuckled quietly as she continued to massage his shoulders, working her fingers along his neck. She paused to deftly remove his topknot and crown, and then her nails lightly grazed his scalp as she began running her fingers through his shaggy hair.

Zuko let out a sigh that was half moan as his eyes fluttered shut, and he relaxed even further against the chair. "This, this is a definite improvement to the routine," he breathed out.

Katara smirked as she continued her ministrations.

Iroh didn't know the half of it.


	6. don't be all that i need

" _You said, "Don't be all that I need, / because I need a lot, / much more than you can give me.'" – Cameron Cole, "Seasons"_

* * *

"I can't stay any longer." The unexpected words hung in the air between them.

They were standing outside the door about to head into their next meeting with the Four Nations Council, and Zuko's hand was poised above the handle when she had said it.

"I..." Katara studied the trim of the door intently. "I'll definitely be staying through the end of the Council, but I don't know how long I'll be gone. Or when I'll be back. I'm not sure I can explain it."

Zuko half turned towards her, opened his mouth to speak, shut it again, and breathed out heavily as he said, "Of course. It's, um…"

The shuffling of feet and a cough behind them signaled the sound of the Earth Ambassador, and with a quick glance at Zuko, Katara turned and, in her cheeriest voice said, "Councilman Seehn! What a pleasure to see you again! The Fire Lord and I were just about to head in. Please accompany us."

The councilman beamed as he began to remark, "Lady Katara! What an honor. I hope you have taken my advice on –"

Zuko stood aside for the two of them to enter. As he watched her casually joking with the frail man, he was distantly aware of a constricting in his chest. Without expecting it, or anticipating it, he'd gotten used to having her around. He had known the visit wasn't permanent, but without realizing it, he had begun to hope…he shook his head to clear out the thoughts that crowded in. Right now, he had to focus. With a smile that looked more like a grimace, he headed in.


	7. on concubines and confessions

" _So then how do you pick: where you're safe, out of sight, and yourself, but where everything's wrong? / Or where everything's right but you know that you'll never belong? And whichever you pick, do it quick, / 'cause you're starting to stick / to the the steps of the palace." –_ Sondheim's _"On the Steps of the Palace"_ from Into the Woods

* * *

Katara huffed a sigh, blowing her hair loops away from her forehead in the puff. She surveyed the gallery below her critically: dignitary, dignitary, councillor, former general, diplomat, dignitary, dignitary's wife with the unibrow…

From her vantage point in the opera box, it was easy to pick out the tactical alliances, the petty feuds, the lovers making not-so-subtle glances. She huffed again and turned on her heel, away from the noise and the bright light. She glided down the hallway, and, glancing around quickly to make sure no one followed, took the first left out to an exterior balcony. Taking a deep gulp of the cool, evening air, she closed her eyes and leaned against the railing.

 _I don't belong here_.

The thought sprang to her mind as bright as the moonlight around her. It was the thought that had made her leave all those months ago. She had spent the time traveling, lobbying, visiting. She had crossed every continent and returned, only to realize that some part of her was still hoping that when she came back, it would all make sense, that it would feel like home. Somehow she thought loving someone would make her heart stitch itself together, that she would feel like she belonged. Like the sneering comments of the elite wouldn't irritate her. Like the dry, cloudless sky wouldn't feel suffocating. Like seeing his face would be enough to ease the gnawing fears inside. And yet in the week she'd been here, she'd mostly, politely, avoided him.

She stared out into the city below, studying the bright points of light that marked houses and restaurants, and then, looking upward, began to examine constellations that were empty of meaning to her, stars that withheld their stories.

Hearing the silk robes of another's gown rustling, she smoothed her facial expression, turning to face the newcomer with a carefully blank expression.

"Why am I not surprised to run into you here?" Zuko smiled crookedly as he stepped onto the lamplit balcony. "I needed a break from the Suun family. They're convinced I should build a bathhouse for royal concubines within the grounds. Nevermind that there haven't been royal concubines in this family for six generations."

Ever since she returned, Zuko couldn't help rambling endlessly to fill the silence between the questions. He joined her at the railing, and watched as she gave only the most cautious of smiles before turning her gaze back to the sky.

He let out a heavy sigh and followed her gaze, standing in silence beside her as the moment stretched out.

Katara heard the insistent voice in the back of her mind ask, _You're in love with a man who jokes about concubines?_

And without meaning to, a question slipped out of her, "Would you?"

He glanced over with his good eyebrow raised, "Would I what?"

"Erm, take concubines?"

"Well it's certainly an interesting proposition…" but the smile in his voice gave him away before he could finish. Katara shoved him with her shoulder and he let out a laugh, saying, "You're the one who asked. If you don't want to know, you shouldn't open the discussion."

Silence settled again, until Zuko asked, "Katara?"

"Mmmm?" she replied, still staring intently at the city below.

"There won't be a new bathhouse for concubines."

She rolled her eyes, "That's a relief."

"And why is that, in particular, a relief?" Zuko prodded, and Katara closed her eyes as she said, "They'd want me to determine how to plumb it, and I don't have time right now."

"But you might have time later?"

A pause before she said, "Much later, I suppose. If I stayed."

"Would you like to stay?" Zuko asked, and she heard the note of hope that brightened his otherwise steady tone.

"I wish I knew. When I came here to help advise, I didn't expect to stay. I was an outsider. And then I stayed so much longer than I thought I would, but I still never felt like I belonged. I thought maybe if I went to one of the Poles, I would belong. But I didn't. Maybe I don't know how to belong anymore." She let out a sigh and rested her head lightly against Zuko's shoulder. His warmth surprised her, and, as she realized how cool the night had become, she snuggled against him more.

In a moment, he had pulled her into his arms, and she stood, blinking in surprise, before she wrapped her arms around him and let out another shaky sigh.

She was further surprised to hear his voice, low and thick with emotion, so near her ear, as he said, "I know it's not the easiest place to be, but you will always be welcome here."

"Here in the Fire Nation?"

"Here. With me."

All of a sudden, the urge to laugh bubbled up in her, and she pulled back enough to look him in the eyes as they stood nose-to-nose, and she said, "So definitely no concubines in the future for you?"

He regarded her closely, "Definitely not."

She looped her arms around his frame again and pressed against him. With her face buried in his robes, she murmured, "I think I might be in love with you."

"What was that now?" He asked, a cheerful light gleaming in his eyes. She repeated it, louder, face still buried, "Might be in love."

With great gentleness, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and murmured simply, "Me too."

And for a moment, under the Fire Nation's stars, Katara did not worry about where she belonged. For a moment, she knew.


	8. suki says what she thinks

" _One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began." – Mary Oliver_

* * *

"Yeah, I'll catch you later. I just need to see Katara," Suki parted ways with the guardswomen in her regiment and made for the Water Ambassador's chambers.

When she arrived, she paused before entering, leaned against the frame of the outer door and watched Katara, who was sitting in the middle of the room, concentration focused on the adult turtle duck lying limp in her lap, its leg at an awkward angle. With one hand Katara stroked its head gently, and the other she hovered over the broken leg, twitching only a finger at a time.

After a moment Suki asked, "Why don't you do the blue-glowy hand thing?"

Katara's hands continued their patient work, but the water bender turned her head as she glanced up and said, "Do you know you sound more like my brother every day?"

Suki puffed herself up and, in a mock-offended voice, warbled, "Me?"

Katara laughed and, unable to resist the opportunity to teach, explained the technique: "The 'blue glowy thing' is water-healing, and it works from the outside in – it knits skin together first, then fat, tissue, and muscle. But when this little guy fell, he broke the bone. Some of the muscle is damaged, but the break is more problematic. So I'm reducing the blood flow to his brain, so he's a bit more relaxed, and I'm trying to coax the bone marrow to the site of the break, to speed his recovery. I'm trying to help his own body heal faster." Katara glanced again at the Kyoshi Warrior before continuing, "It's tedious, but if I can get the hang of it, it could be a huge breakthrough for any hospital with a water bender. Up till now, the best we could do was set the bone and hope for the best."

Suki watched critically and then asked, "What does Aang think about it?"

For an instant, Katara's hand stilled, and then it resumed its rhythmic work above the quiet animal. Her gaze turned fierce as she worked.

"He told me to stop. I told him that wasn't his call." Her gaze softened and a smile crept back into her voice, "I also told him that the basic idea is what helped me heal his arm so quickly when he fell off his glider last summer."

Suki raised her eyebrows, "It's pretty ballsy to practice bone marrow bending on the Avatar."

Katara continued matter-of-factly, "It's also what saved Zuko's knee two years ago, although if I'd known what I was doing, he wouldn't be so achy every time a front blows in. There. Finished." She stroked the animal's feathers one last time and moved it from her lap to the floor. It blinked confusedly a few times, as Katara opened the screen leading to the inner garden. The animal half-hopped, half-waddled towards the pond, still favoring the unbroken leg.

The two women watched it go, when Suki said, "That's actually who I came to talk to you about."

Katara busied herself in closing the doors, asking breezily, "Zuko? What about him?"

"I think y'all are good together. And I think you made the right decision."

Silence settled on the room as Suki watched Katara intently.

Katara exhaled deeply and studied the embroidery at the end of her sleeve, "I…think so too." And looking up, a blush beginning to stain her cheeks, she said, "I told him I loved him last night."

Suki's eyes widened and her mouth dropped as she commanded, "Tell me more!"

Laughing, Katara began, "Well…"


	9. brothers and bro codes

_"It's often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. This is in fact true. It is called living. - Terry Pratchett_

* * *

Zuko hurried to Katara's study, mentally berating the minor courtier whose endless questions had made him late. He was supposed to head down to the docks with Katara to meet Sokka, whose boat was due this afternoon. It was to his surprise then, as he approached the door and heard the sound of his soon-to-be brother-in-law angrily ask, "And you thought I would just allow you to make that kind of decision?"

Katara's voice shot back, "ALLOW ME? _ALLOW ME_? Since when are you the one who _allows me_ to do anything?"

Zuko paused, just outside the door, suddenly frozen as he overheard Sokka say, "Since forever, Katara! I am your older brother! It is my job to guide you in the ways of the world. You clearly don't know the gravity of your decision, and it is my responsibil-"

"Oh, like you knew exactly what you were doing with Suki!"

"Yes! I did! And how dare you insinuate that I—"

Zuko heard Katara huff as she spat out, "Don't even start with me. You know that Gran Gran was upset about how it happened, and don't try to pretend –"

"Aggh! You're not even listening to me! I give up; I GIVE UP! I'm going to find Zuko; he's going to have to learn that—"

"You will do no such thing! In case I did not make it clear before, this was _my idea_ , and I will not back down from—"

Zuko grimaced. It was now or never. He swung open the door, smiled broadly, and announced, "Well, I'd like to think it was a decision we made together." In an instant, both siblings turned, identical expressions of surprise on their face.

Katara recovered first, as she retorted, "It was so not your decision. Also, you are late. Also, you have no say in this. So." She swiveled back to Sokka, "Do not for one second think that him being here has any bearing on your argument—"

But Sokka was already charging straight towards the Fire Lord, as he bellowed, "It is absolutely insane of you to make any kind of decision regarding what kind of sea prunes will be served at the wedding—"

Sokka threw his arms around Zuko in an embrace, still ranting at full volume, "Because whatever Katara says, the Village Keo's are NOT as good as the ones harvested at Sunken Valley, and-" Sokka pulled back just enough to grip Zuko's face between his hands, "Congrats and everything, man. It was about damn time," and he slammed his forehead against the other man's, in their traditional greeting.

At the sound of the smack, Katara loudly groaned and complained to the laughing and stumbling pair, "Why do you two have to do that every time you see each other?"

It was Sokka who finally caught his breath enough to say, smiling broadly, "It's just what brothers do."

Looking at the pair of them, Katara couldn't help but smile herself as she replied, "Well, whatever you _brothers_ say, it's going to be Sea Prunes from Keo, and that is final."

And it was.


	10. truce

A/N: I love all of the dark blood-bending fics, but I wanted to try writing something that showed Katara using the skill casually, perhaps even with some humor? This was my attempt at that.

Many thanks to all who have left such lovely reviews! I have three more short chapters planned before this is finished.

* * *

 _"I don't even want to go out tonight. / No, I've got you by my side. / I don't even need to sugarcoat it, girl. / No, I've got you by my side." - George Ezra's "Sugarcoat"_

* * *

Zuko drummed his fingers on the desk absentmindedly as he read the last few lines of the latest correspondence from Iroh, which had come via messenger hawk to the South Pole earlier that afternoon. _The Xiao region is experiencing flooding, and the people there_ – Zuko stopped reading as a curious sensation came over his hand. As he watched it dumbly, he saw his own hand slow its tapping and then rest itself, gently, next to his inkwell, through no exertion of his own.

He flexed his fingers, and as the odd sensation faded, looked across the room where his companion-in-paperwork sat, innocently reading through her own correspondence. He returned to reading and, within a few seconds, began drumming his fingers. Again, his hand stilled itself.

Well, two could play at this game.

The letter forgotten, he leaned back from his desk and yawned, studying Katara in the glow of her lamp as she continued to read. They had lighted the whale-oil a few hours ago when the sun had set in the late afternoon. Though moonlight spilled into the room from the window, its beams did not reach to her desk. Zuko exhaled deeply and -

-Pfft. The lamp on Katara's desk sputtered and went out. Looking up from her reading for the first time, she raised an eyebrow at him. He returned her gaze with a smirk. Wordlessly, she reached into her drawer for the matches. Zuko breathed in as the match scrrtched across the flint and -

Scrrrtch – Pfft.

Scrrtch – Pfft.

Scrrrtch – Pfft.

Scrrtch –

Katara smiled triumphantly as the flame finally caught on the match, enabling her to re-light her lamp. Settling into her chair, she picked up her parchment.

Pfft.

Zuko watched a smile twitch across her face and then, stubbornly not looking at him, she picked up the scroll and marched to the window to read by moonlight.

Satisfied with his victory, he picked up his brush to begin a response to Iroh. He dipped it into the inkwell only to find that it had, quite coincidentally, been frozen.

Chagrined, Zuko broke into a broad grin and, pushing away from his desk, strode over to his wife. Wrapping his arms around her smaller frame, he nuzzled her neck.

"Truce?" He asked. In a moment, he felt his arms stiffen and lock into place, and he groaned theatrically.

Katara murmured, "I am _almost_ done reading this report from Ty Lee."

Zuko looked down at the paper she held. With a quiet sizzle, the top corner began to smolder.

Breaking into laughter, Katara released his blood and set the smoking document onto her desk. In the moonlight she looked up at him, matching his grin, and uttered a single word:

"Truce."


	11. topknot

_"All I want to do / is get up early in the morning. / All I'm here to say / is your love's extra ordinary / you're extra ordinary, baby." - Better than Ezra's "Extra Ordinary"_

* * *

Katara strolled through the long, empty corridors of the Fire Palace, watching the steady afternoon light stream through the large windows. She paused in front of one of them and closed her eyes, relishing the warm, drowsy feeling from the sunshine.

 _If I'm this sleepy now_ , she mused, _maybe I should nap before the gala tonight._ Finding this a highly acceptable solution, she continued down the hallway. Rounding a corner, she beheld a disgruntled Zuko, hurriedly pulling his hair into a messy topknot.

"That's not such a good look for you," she chided as she approached the bedraggled Fire Lord.

Zuko continued trying to smooth the strands into an even topknot as he glared at her, but she dismissed it and swatted his hands down.

"Let me help you," she admonished, expertly running her fingers through the strands.

Conceding defeat, he bent his head towards her as he grumbled, "If this damn headache would go away, I wouldn't have taken it out in the first place. I'm supposed to be meeting with Governor Tao about the -"

Having secured the strands in a bunch, she held out her left hand and asked,"Crown?"

Zuko placed the two pieces in her hand, and she deftly fit the ornament over the knot and slid in the pin.

Zuko gazed down at her, half of his mouth quirking up in a smile, "How can I ever repay you for such a service to your Fire Lord?"

Pausing to survey her handiwork, Katara then looped her hands around his neck and gazed at him in mock seriousness: "I might have a few ideas."

Zuko met her eyes and tightened his own hold around her waist as he weighed his options, "I can be done with this meeting in ten minutes," he offered, "depending on what you had in mind?"

She smiled and cocked her head innocently, "Nap with me?"

Zuko returned her full smile, his one good eyebrow raised, "And mess with this perfect hair? I don't know what I'd say to my wife."

Laughing, she released her grip around his neck and took a step back, "I think your wife might find it in her heart to forgive you," she said as she set off towards her room.

Zuko watched her go. This meeting needed to be wrapped up _now._


	12. candlelit night

" _No matter how late, baby, I'll be staying up, I can't sleep without you." - From Brett Young's "Sleep Without You"_

* * *

As the tram slowed to a stop, Katara gathered her things. At this time of night, there were only a few people left on the Ba Sing Se transit system. Making eye contact with the elderly woman across the aisle, she murmured a goodnight and stepped out of the cabin. The tram whooshed onward, and she took a deep breath of the clear night air. The world was quiet. She could feel contentment humming through her veins as she navigated the dark streets.

Approaching the manor, she saw a single room was lit upstairs. Katara let herself in the back door, stole up the stairs, and silently eased open the door.

Candles covered every surface. The tall, bright ones intended for chandeliers were arranged on the dresser, while short squat ones were placed in every square tile of the floor. The distinctly green ones (a gift from their Earth hostess) occupied the bedside tables, and the red ones brought from home surrounded the figure in the middle of it all – the meditating form of the Fire Lord. Eyes closed, hair loose, and breathing slowly. With every inhale, the flames thinned in unison, and with every exhale they flickered back, fat and bright.

It was a familiar technique, a perfect training exercise for visiting a foreign nation, as it required extraordinary control and concentration, while being fairly inconspicuous.

But with Zuko this focused, it was hard to resist the temptation…Katara leaned towards the nearest flame and blew it out, watching her husband all the while. His brows wrinkled slightly and the flame sizzled back into existence.

Still watching him, she leaned over and, in quick succession, blew out two of the tapers nearest her. Zuko's frown deepened, as did his breathing, and the flames burst back in his exhale. Turning away from him, Katara drew a deep breath when –

"You know, there's nothing wrong with saying hello," Zuko's wry voice caught her mid breath, and she turned to him, eyes shining and smile wide. He regarded her, seriously. "Did you have a good time with Toph?"

"Well, we started the evening with front row seats at Triple Rock Brawl, but –" she bent down to the sea of candles between the two of them and began blowing them out, "afterwards we went to the Jasmine Dragon, and I got the latest scoop on –"

With a deep breath from Zuko, the candles on the floor whisked out, leaving only their smoking trails, and the warm light of the countertop candles. Katara rolled her eyes and picked her way across the floor to the man-island before her, settling herself in his lap, as she continued talking, "the newest boy-toy named Lang who is apparently quite the catch, although she has no intention of settling down with him." She paused as she regarded him carefully.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, concerned.

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the corner of her ear as he said, "I'm glad you're back."

Her smile returned as she wriggled closer to him and let out a yawn, "I'm glad to be back. Time for bed."

By the gleam in his eyes, Katara assumed that Zuko agreed.


	13. wake up

" _Since there is no place large enough  
_ _to contain so much happiness,  
_ _you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you  
_ _into everything you touch." – From Naomi Shihab Nye's poem_ "So Much Happiness"

* * *

 _The heavy darkness was behind him, always growing. Zuko tried to run, but his legs were heavy and leaden. Unable to move, he could only watch with pounding heart as the thing grew closer and –_

Zuko startled awake into a sitting position, eyes wide as he took in the bedroom, a stream of calm moonlight splitting the floor but leaving the canopy bed in darkness. His panting breath slowed and he laid back down, chilled through. Though the dream's details were already fading, he felt bright awake. He gazed on his sleeping wife, her back to him as she slept on her side, her breath even and slow.

Curling up around her and scooting under her thick blanket, he gently traced his hand along her arm, till he reached her hand and interlocked their fingers. Whispering, he said, "Katara. Wake up."

Eyes still closed she mumbled out, "Mger humff."

Zuko was undeterred. He bent close so that his lips brushed against her ear and repeated, "Katara. Wake up."

He let go of her hand as she blearily rolled over into his arms. Nose-to-nose with him she peeked open one eye,

"Is it morning?" She asked, voice thick with sleep.

Zuko kissed the top of her forehead, and she sighed contentedly.

"No," he responded. "I'm just awake."

Her eyebrows furrowed over her closed eyes, and a trace of exasperation filled her voice as she said, "Then go back to sleep."

She pressed her face against his chest, clumsily kissed his sternum, and rolled back to her other side, snuggling into his warmth. She fumbled for his hand and, finding it, wrapped it in her own against her chest. She sighed and, in a moment, Zuko felt her breathing deep and steady.

Zuko relaxed around her and tried to match his breathing to hers.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

Trying once more to draw her into conversation, he whispered, "What are you dreaming about?"

She inhaled deeply before breathing out, "We're feeding…the turtleducks."

He smiled and closed his eyes, imagining the same, and let himself drift back into sleep.

 _Fin._


End file.
